Projects
Development of a mathematical model of apple growth in changing climate KU Leuven
Fruit production is growing worldwide to meet the increasing demand for high quality, healthy food. Predicting how fruit yield and quality are optimally controlled by cultivation and postharvest conditions remains a grand challenge. Currently, a mathematical model is in development, that accurately describes and predicts biochemical and physical changes in fruit as affected by pre- and postharvest conditions. Such a model can be used to study ...
Obtaining fundamental and mechanistic insight into browning reaction pathways in fruit-based food systems: an integrated fingerprinting and kinetics approach. KU Leuven
Consuming fruits is an important part of a healthy life-style. Fruits can be freshly consumed or can be processed into juices, jams and canned fruits. One of the common quality losses during processing and storage of fruit-based products is degradation of the commercially valuable color. Since an attractive color is one of the main characteristics that play an important role in product acceptability, browning is a quality handicap. Color ...
Sustainable Sourcing of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables from Senegal KU Leuven
Rural development can be a major welfare catalyst for rural Sub-Saharan African regions, as more than 80% of the poor live in rural areas and derive their livelihoods from a limited range of (on-farm) activities. Rural development – an umbrella term for all activities, programs and strategies that target to improve the livelihoods of rural households – comprises both agricultural and non-agricultural development, and can be triggered through ...
Identification of the transcription factors and (epi)genetic elements that control the vitamin C content in apple fruits. KU Leuven
The saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ accurately summarizes that apples are full of healthy compounds. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid, Asc) is one of those compounds and is particularly interesting because it acts both as a vitamin and as an antioxidant. Since vitamin C is not only crucial for human nutrition, but can also improve the storability of apples and their resistance against (a)biotic stresses, vitamin C content is an ...
Short and long term solutions for postharvest decay of apple by Botrytis cinerea. KU Leuven
Apple (Malus x domestica) is a seasonal fruit that can be harvested in autumn. To provide consumers with a year round supply of high quality apples the fruit is stored with controlled atmosphere at low temperature. During storage fungal-caused decay may occur, resulting in losses. These losses are currently controlled through chemical pesticides, but increasing public concerns about safety for people and environment are ...
Identification of in planta secreted fungal effectors and characterization of their interacting tomato proteins to ameliorate arbuscular mycorrhiza-based agriculture Ghent University
Tomato is a world-wide cultivated and consumed vegetable crop that is appreciated for its high nutritional value. Tomato fruit yield and quality are often hampered by the limited availability of nutrients (e.g. phosphate) in the soil and by periods of drought. The application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) provides a sustainable solution to these problems. However, a better understanding of the molecular cross-talk between the AMF and ...
Kinetic and mechanistic insight into browning of heat processed fruitbased products during storage KU Leuven
A major quality loss during ambient storage of heat preserved fruit-based products is color degradation, determining consumer acceptability and defining the shelf-life of these products. Color degradation results from the combined effect of fading of natural pigments and formation of brownish compounds. The development of brownish compounds can originate from enzyme- and non enzyme-catalyzed reactions, the former being negligible in heat ...
Improving the industrial and agricultural potential of arbuscular mycorrhiza through the modulation of the carbon status in tomato. Ghent University
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are mutualistic symbionts of a wide range of plants, including tomato. AMF supply their hosts with nutrients and receive sugars and lipids in return. They can offer a sustainable solution for nutrient deficiencies and drought in tomato cultivation during ongoing climate change. Plant-derived sugars are also essential for tomato fruit development and quality. Hence, a fine-tuned nutrient exchange at the sites ...
Optimization of apple aroma production after dynamic controlled atmosphere storage based on respiratory quotient (RQ-DCA). KU Leuven
Recently, there has been an increasing interest in dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage systems to improve fruit quality after storage and prevent storage disorders, while reducing chemical treatments thus enforcing the market position. At our research group, we have developed such novel patented RQ-DCA technology. The purpose of the system is to maintain the lowest possible oxygen concentration still avoiding too low conditions where ...